Thermochemistry of Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks of Varying Porosity

A comparison of the amorphization of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) and aluminosilicate zeolites by ball-milling

Amorphization of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks during ball-milling is much more rapid than that of aluminosilicate zeolites.

Adsorptive Separation of Olefin/Paraffin Mixtures with ZIF-4

The microporous zeolitic imidazolate framework ZIF-4 has been synthesized, and its ethylene/ethane and propylene/propane separation potentials have been evaluated by single-component adsorption isotherms and breakthrough experiments of the respective binary mixtures. In all experiments, a higher selectivity for the paraffin is observed that is manifested by a steeper equilibrium isotherm as well as a later breakthrough in the fixed-bed adsorber experiments. Microporous adsorbents with paraffin selectivity are rare but highly interesting for cyclic adsorption processes such as pressure-swing adsorption (PSA).

Mechanical properties of zeolitic metal–organic frameworks: mechanically flexible topologies and stabilization against structural collapse

We report the low elastic modulus of a zeolitic MOF, along with stabilization against structural collapse by filling with solvent.

Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks: next-generation materials for energy-efficient gas separations

Industrial separation processes comprise approximately 10% of the global energy demand, driven largely by the utilization of thermal separation methods (e.g., distillation). Significant energy and cost savings can be realized using advanced separation techniques such as membranes and sorbents. One of the major barriers to acceptance of these techniques remains creating materials that are efficient and productive in the presence of aggressive industrial feeds. One promising class of emerging materials is zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs), an important thermally and chemically stable subclass of metal organic frameworks (MOFs). The objectives of this paper are (i) to provide a current understanding of the synthetic methods that enable the immense tunability of ZIFs, (ii) to identify areas of success and areas for improvement when ZIFs are used as adsorbents, (iii) to identify areas of success and areas for improvement in ZIF membranes. A review is given of the state-of-the-art in ZIF synthesis procedures and novel ZIF formation pathways as well as their application in energy efficient separations.

Amorphous metal-organic frameworks

Crystalline metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous frameworks comprising an infinite array of metal nodes connected by organic linkers. The number of novel MOF structures reported per year is now in excess of 6000, despite significant increases in the complexity of both component units and molecular networks. Their regularly repeating structures give rise to chemically variable porous architectures, which have been studied extensively due to their sorption and separation potential. More recently, catalytic applications have been proposed that make use of their chemical tunability, while reports of negative linear compressibility and negative thermal expansion have further expanded interest in the field. Amorphous metal-organic frameworks (aMOFs) retain the basic building blocks and connectivity of their crystalline counterparts, though they lack any long-range periodic order. Aperiodic arrangements of atoms result in their X-ray diffraction patterns being dominated by broad "humps" caused by diffuse scattering and thus they are largely indistinguishable from one another. Amorphous MOFs offer many exciting opportunities for practical application, either as novel functional materials themselves or facilitating other processes, though the domain is largely unexplored (total aMOF reported structures amounting to under 30). Specifically, the use of crystalline MOFs to detect harmful guest species before subsequent stress-induced collapse and guest immobilization is of considerable interest, while functional luminescent and optically active glass-like materials may also be prepared in this manner. The ion transporting capacity of crystalline MOFs might be improved during partial structural collapse, while there are possibilities of preparing superstrong glasses and hybrid liquids during thermal amorphization. The tuning of release times of MOF drug delivery vehicles by partial structural collapse may be possible, and aMOFs are often more mechanically robust than crystalline materials, which is of importance for industrial applications. In this Account, we describe the preparation of aMOFs by introduction of disorder into their parent crystalline frameworks through heating, pressure (both hydrostatic and nonhydrostatic), and ball-milling. The main method of characterizing these amorphous materials (analysis of the pair distribution function) is summarized, alongside complementary techniques such as Raman spectroscopy. Detailed investigations into their properties (both chemical and mechanical) are compiled and compared with those of crystalline MOFs, while the impact of the field on the processing techniques used for crystalline MOF powders is also assessed. Crucially, the benefits amorphization may bring to existing proposed MOF applications are detailed, alongside the possibilities and research directions afforded by the combination of the unique properties of the amorphous domain with the versatility of MOF chemistry.

Stacking Faults and Mechanical Behavior beyond the Elastic Limit of an Imidazole-Based Metal Organic Framework: ZIF-8

We determine the nonlinear mechanical behavior of a prototypical zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8) along two modes of mechanical failure in response to tensile and shear forces using first-principles simulations. Our generalized stacking fault energy surface reveals an intrinsic stacking fault of surprisingly low energy comparable to that in copper, though the energy barrier associated with its formation is much higher. The lack of vibrational spectroscopic evidence for such faults in experiments can be explained with the structural instability of the barrier state to form a denser and disordered state of ZIF-8 seen in our analysis, that is, large shear leads to its amorphization rather than formation of faults.

Thermochemistry of paddle wheel MOFs: Cu-HKUST-1 and Zn-HKUST-1

Metal-organic framework (MOF) porosity relies upon robust metal-organic bonds to retain structural rigidity upon solvent removal. Both the as-synthesized and activated Cu and Zn polymorphs of HKUST-1 were studied by room temperature acid solution calorimetry. Their enthalpies of formation from dense assemblages (metal oxide (ZnO or CuO), trimesic acid (TMA), and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF)) were calculated from the calorimetric data. The enthalpy of formation (ΔHf) of the as-synthesized Cu-HKUST-H2O ([Cu3TMA2·3H2O]·5DMF) is -52.70 ± 0.34 kJ per mole of Cu. The ΔHf for Zn-HKUST-DMF ([Zn3TMA2·3DMF]·2DMF) is -54.22 ± 0.57 kJ per mole of Zn. The desolvated Cu-HKUST-dg [Cu3TMA2] has a ΔHf of 16.66 ± 0.51 kJ/mol per mole Cu. The ΔHf for Zn-HKUST-amorph [Zn3TMA2·2DMF] is -3.57 ± 0.21 kJ per mole of Zn. Solvent stabilizes the Cu-HKUST-H2O by -69.4 kJ per mole of Cu and Zn-HKUST-DMF by at least -50.7 kJ per mole of Zn. Such strong chemisorption of solvent is similar in magnitude to the strongly exothermic binding at low coverage for chemisorbed H2O on transition metal oxide nanoparticle surfaces. The strongly exothermic solvent-framework interaction suggests that solvent can play a critical role in obtaining a specific secondary building unit (SBU) topology.

Investigating the Pressure-Induced Amorphization of Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework ZIF-8: Mechanical Instability Due to Shear Mode Softening

We provide the first molecular dynamics study of the mechanical instability that is the cause of pressure-induced amorphization of zeolitic imidazolate framework ZIF-8. By measuring the elastic constants of ZIF-8 up to the amorphization pressure, we show that the crystal-to-amorphous transition is triggered by the mechanical instability of ZIF-8 under compression, due to shear mode softening of the material. No similar softening was observed under temperature increase, explaining the absence of temperature-induced amorphization in ZIF-8. We also demonstrate the large impact of the presence of adsorbate in the pores on the mechanical stability and compressibility of the framework, increasing its shear stability. This first molecular dynamics study of ZIF mechanical properties under variations of pressure, temperature, and pore filling opens the way to a more comprehensive understanding of their mechanical stability, structural transitions, and amorphization.